Hi, I’m Donald stark. I’m a Mathematician and amateur photographer living near Boulder, Colorado.

I learned the technical basics of 35mm B&W film photography as a teen. As a young photographer I quickly transitioned from working with B&W film to color reversal film, focusing on adventure photography, specifically mountaineering and rock climbing. My interest in photography declined significantly after college, but renewed mid-life when I moved with my wife to the Monterey Bay California and became exposed to the descendants of the Group f/64 movement from Carmel. There I purchased my first professional level medium format camera and re-acquainted myself with the world of B&W film photography. There I also took my first fine art photography workshops, and was introduced to the zone system. Today, I struggle to master my 4×5 large format camera, and enjoy shooting my medium format film cameras. Since 2016, I’ve become entranced with the unique beauty of infrared photography. That exploration started with the conversion of a mirrorless digital camera, but has expanded to include working with currently available B&W IR films.

I am still searching for my personal style. With the help of photographers such as Guy Tal I have come to appreciate that a photograph can be more than a literal representation of a thing, and that literal things can be used to create metaphors with meaning completely unrelated to the original objects.

My most recent artistic influences include Michael Kenna, John Sexton, Fan Ho, and Chuck Kimmerle, and Guy Tal.

I prefer making photographs without people. I look for scenes that convey melancholy, and have an attraction to abandoned and lonely places. And while I enjoy photographing architecture, I prefer my cityscapes shrouded in the darkness of night.